CARSHALTON BOYS SPORTS COLLEGE UNVEILED MEMORIAL AS PART OF CENTENARY LEGACY PROJECT

CARSHALTON BOYS SPORTS COLLEGE UNVEILED MEMORIAL AS PART OF CENTENARY LEGACY PROJECT

04/12/2014

On 11th November 2014 Carshalton Boys Sports College held an entire day of events and lessons based on the First world War, including the unveiling of a new memorial designed by student Regan Cain, who attended a FWWCBTP tour in March.

On 11th November 2014, the entire school community at Carshalton Boys and guests gathered just before 11am in the school playground. The head boy and head girl (they have a mixed Post-16) read Binyon’s ‘Ode to Remembrance’ before a trumpeter from the local community sounded the Last Post. Following the two minutes silence, Stephen Williams MP, unveiled a new memorial for the First World War Centenary before the whole school filed past it to pay their respects.

The unveiling of this memorial was the culmination of a project which had begun early in 2014, when Regan Cain, now in Yr10, wrote poem on a t-shirt as his entry to win the chance to represent his college on a FWW Centenary Battlefields Programme Tour. On the 11th November, every member of staff was wearing one of Regan’s t-shirts which have been sold to raise money for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. Regan’s poem is also incorporated onto the new memorial.

In March 2014, Regan and his friend Sam Whiting (accompanied by history teacher Julie Haunstetter) went on their battlefield tour. Since returning home they have all embraced the role of ambassadors for the programme both in the college and the wider community. As part of their legacy project they have interviewed Eric Pickles MP and Dan Snow for the BBC News School Report. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/27310119 They have also appeared on BBC Breakfast and were part of BBC News feature based on the tour they took part in. But they have also done a great deal of work within their own school community to help others discover the First World War.

The programme on 11th November began with assemblies for all students, led by Julie Haunstetter which set the tone for a whole day of commemorative events and lessons. Local MP Tom Brake attended and also toured the school to see the work in progress. An art exhibition was hosted in the main hall, exhibiting artwork with a First World War theme by students from across the college. A local historian who has written a book about those commemorated on the local war memorial came in and gave a talk to the whole of Yr9 about the impact that the war had had on the local community.

Every lesson on the day also had a First World War theme and staff had enthusiastically approached this in some very creative and imaginative ways. A great deal of planning had been done and the end result was a series of dynamic and engaging lessons in all subject areas.

The following table gives some examples of what was done in lessons;

English

Yr7 Analysis of language used in war poetry

Yr10 Satirical writing based on the Wipers Times

Science

Y8 Designing and making Trench periscope based on reflection and refraction

Yr9 Morse code and methods of communication

History

Yr8 Impact of Pals battalions on local communities

Yr8 Recruitment at the start of the war

Food Technology

Yr9 Baking trench cakes

Yr10 Creating a weekly menu for a family based on rations

Computing

Yr9 Using online resources to create interactive maps of the battlefields